Reading opens new worlds for all of us, but many times we can’t seem to get our children hooked. We try to find things to help them read better and enjoy it more. Sometimes it just takes finding something they like. Hank the Cowdog series of books and audio books written by John Erikson and published by Maverick Books might just be the hook you are looking for. This little dog and all his misadventures will slide and woof his way into your child’s heart with quite possibly the love of reading right along with him.

Hank is a dog if you hadn’t quite guessed it. He is a cowdog to be exact. Hank lives on a ranch and has taken up the position of head dog. If you ask his owners, you might think that Hank has a little over inflated sense of self, but read Hank’s stories, and you find he is a valuable pup. He gets himself into lots of trouble, but he always saves the day. Any child can learn to love reading in these lovable stories. The audio tapes and cds bring the stories to life with good quality and the songs are delightful adding more charm. Regardless to reading ability, your child will find a way to enjoy this world of Hank’s. There is also a website with a virtual world to explore that provides a memory game, math skills fun and practice, and silly fun with a Hank the Cowdog theme. That is just another plus. The books, audio tapes/cds come in packages from large to small beginning at $19.99 with individual paperbacks for $4.24 and hardbacks for $12.49.

The Hank the Cowdog Tornado game is a cute game similar to Parcheesi in play with a tornado spinner instead of dice and Hank the Cowdog characters for game pieces. It is a game suitable for play by most children. It can be tactilely made easily with a few different shaped and textured bumps and the use of a brailled six-sided dice, so the blind and DeafBlind can play, too. That is a game that I can always back. Game play teaches so many skills for children of all ages and abilities.